calcification

calcificatio

Investigation on advanced active materials for lithium-ion batteries

The objectives of the Ph.D project were: (1) to prepare and study advanced active materials with high capacity and long cycle life for rechargeable lithium ion batteries; (2)to understand the relationship between the structural, physical, and lectrochemical properties of the electrode materials; (3) to identify the main parameters which are responsible for the differences in electrochemical behaviour. In this study, several methods have been used to improve the performance of electrodes, including element substitution, synthesis methods, carbon-enriching, etc. A starting point for the study was a survey of the literature pertaining to the cathode and anode materials for lithium ion batteries. Many different electrode materials are described. The thesis provides a detailed description of the status of current research and development in electrode materials for lithium ion batteries. A variety of cathode materials have been investigated. Some of them have shown good electrochemical performance when used in lithium ion cells. Electroactive LiCoxMnyNi1- x-yO2 powders were prepared from lithium compounds and CoxMnyNi1-x-y(OH)2 precursor by heating at 850-900 °C. High density spherical LiCo0.25Ni0.75O2 compounds were synthesized from lithium compounds and spherical Co0.25Ni0.75 (OH)2 precursor by heating in oxygen at 750°C and 800°C for 12 hrs. The structural characteristics of the compounds were determined by x-ray diffraction. The best sintering temperature was found to be 800 °C, in terms of stabilising the layered structure and improving the cycle life. It was found that the spherical LiCo0.25Ni0.75O2 compounds sintered at 800 °C have a highly ordered layered structure with reduced cation mixing. Carbon-enriched nanocrystalline LiFePO4 compounds were prepared by the sol-gel method and the R/F carbon gel method, respectively. A layer of carbon was laid down as a coating on the surface of the lithium crystals, which dramatically enhanced the electronic conductivity of the LiFePO4 compounds. A high capacity of 160 mAh/g at the C/5 rate has been demonstrated for the LiFePO4 electrode. These electrodes also exhibited good cyclability at different charge/discharge rates. A variety of anode materials have also been investigated to search out alternative anode materials to replace graphite for lithium ion batteries. Five types of cobalt oxides were prepared by high temperature decomposition, low temperature decomposition, high energy ball-milling, and the chemical decomposition of cobalt octacarbonyl in toluene, respectively. The LT-Co3O4, the CoO, and the nanosize Co3O4 powders prepared by decomposing organo-cobalt compounds at low temperature show good capacity retention on charge/discharge cycling, which is promising for their use as anode materials in Liion cells. It was found that the electrochemical properties of cobalt oxides are sensitive to the crystallinity, morphology, and particle size. Nanosize Ag powders were prepared via a reverse micelle approach. The size of Ag nanoparticles can be influenced by the concentration of the reduction agent. In addition, SnO2 nanopowders were synthesized by using the same method. 1D structured SnO2 nanorods were observed in the SnO2 nanopowders. The SnO2 nanopowder electrodes show high electrochemical reactivity toward lithium in Li-ion cells. The synthesized materials were characterized by x-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM, through which the phase composition and microstructure were observed. The capacity and cycle life of the cathode materials were obtained from charge/discharge cycling tests. The kinetic characteristics and kinetic parameters of lithium ion insertion and extraction within the electrode materials were determined by a.c. impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammograms. In summary, the investigations in this project have produced several types of electrode materials with high capacity and long cycle life. In particular, the study focuses on the preparation of cathode materials with high density and ordered structure, and anode materials with ultrafine particles. Analysis of the electrochemical processes in lithium ion cells was conducted by various techniques. All of these studies provide a fundamental basis for the development of high energy density electrode materials

Intermedin and calcification

Intermedin and calcificatio

Half-Electrolysis of Water with the Aid of a Supercapacitor Electrode

Half-electrolysis runs one desirable half-cell reaction with the aid of a counter supercapacitor electrode which replaces the other unwanted half-cell reaction occurred inevitably in conventional electrolysis. Herein, it is developed to complete the whole cell reaction of water electrolysis, in alternative steps, with a capacitive activated carbon (AC) electrode and an electrolysis Pt electrode. When positively charging the AC electrode, a hydrogen evolution reaction occurs at the Pt electrode. By reversing the current, the charge stored in the AC electrode is discharged to assist the oxygen evolution reaction on the same Pt electrode. Consecutive completion of the two processes realizes the overall reaction of water electrolysis. This strategy leads to stepwise production of H2 and O2 without the need of a diaphragm in the cell and hence results in a lower energy consumption compared with the practical conventional electrolysis

Table1_Identification of a prognostic model using cuproptosis-related genes in uveal melanoma.XLSX

The most common intraocular malignancy in adults remains uveal melanoma (UVM), and those with metastatic disease have a poor outlook. Proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis of tumor cells can be triggered by cuproptosis, affecting the survival of cancer patients. Nonetheless, cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) have not been identified in UVM. In this study, we analyzed 10 CRGs in 80 patients with UVM in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database regarding the alterations of the genes including copy number variation and methylation. We further constructed a prognostic gene model using these CRGs and built the risk score formula. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression was applied to validate the risk score as an independent prognostic factor. The prognostic model was validated using 63 UVM samples from the GSE22138 cohort, an independent validation data set. Based on the risk scores for 80 patients with UVM from TCGA, we categorized the patients into high- and low-risk groups. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups were enriched in allograft rejection, hypoxia, glycolysis, TNFα signaling via NF-κB, and interferon-γ responses via Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). CD8 T cells and exhausted T cells were notably enriched in the high-risk group. In conclusion, the alteration of CRGs is related to patients with UVM, and the constructed CRG-related model may be helpful to predict the prognosis of such patients.</p

Table2_Identification of a prognostic model using cuproptosis-related genes in uveal melanoma.XLSX

The most common intraocular malignancy in adults remains uveal melanoma (UVM), and those with metastatic disease have a poor outlook. Proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis of tumor cells can be triggered by cuproptosis, affecting the survival of cancer patients. Nonetheless, cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) have not been identified in UVM. In this study, we analyzed 10 CRGs in 80 patients with UVM in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database regarding the alterations of the genes including copy number variation and methylation. We further constructed a prognostic gene model using these CRGs and built the risk score formula. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression was applied to validate the risk score as an independent prognostic factor. The prognostic model was validated using 63 UVM samples from the GSE22138 cohort, an independent validation data set. Based on the risk scores for 80 patients with UVM from TCGA, we categorized the patients into high- and low-risk groups. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups were enriched in allograft rejection, hypoxia, glycolysis, TNFα signaling via NF-κB, and interferon-γ responses via Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). CD8 T cells and exhausted T cells were notably enriched in the high-risk group. In conclusion, the alteration of CRGs is related to patients with UVM, and the constructed CRG-related model may be helpful to predict the prognosis of such patients.</p

Table1_Bioinformatic analysis reveals lysosome-related biomarkers and molecular subtypes in preeclampsia: novel insights into the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.XLSX

Background: The process of lysosomal biogenesis and exocytosis in preeclamptic placentae plays a role in causing maternal endothelial dysfunction. However, the specific lysosome-associated markers relevant to preeclampsia (PE) are not well-defined. Our objective is to discover new biomarkers and molecular subtypes associated with lysosomes that could improve the diagnosis and treatment of PE.Methods: We obtained four microarray datasets related to PE from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The limma package was utilized to identify genes that were differentially expressed between individuals with the disease and healthy controls. The logistic regression analysis was used to identify core diagnostic biomarkers, which were subsequently validated by independent datasets and clinical samples. Additionally, a consensus clustering method was utilized to distinguish between different subtypes of PE. Following this, functional enrichment analysis, GSEA, GSVA, and immune cell infiltration were conducted to compare the two subtypes and identify any differences in their functional characteristics and immune cell composition.Results: We identified 16 PE-specific lysosome-related genes. Through regression analysis, two genes, GNPTG and CTSC, were identified and subsequently validated in the external validation cohort GSE60438 and through qRT-PCR experiment. A nomogram model for the diagnosis of PE was developed and evaluated using these two genes. The model had a remarkably high predictive power (AUC values of the training set, validation set, and clinical samples were 0.897, 0.788, and 0.979, respectively). Additionally, two different molecular subtypes (C1 and C2) were identified, and we found notable variations in the levels of immune cells present in the two subtypes.Conclusion: Our results not only offered a classification system but also identified novel diagnostic biomarkers for PE patients. Our findings offered an additional understanding of how to categorize PE patients and also highlighted potential avenues for creating treatments for individuals with PE.</p

Additional file 1: of The association between interleukin-6 gene -174G/C single nucleotide polymorphism and sepsis: an updated meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

Supplementary tables. Table S1. Results of quality assessment of included studies using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Table S2. Summary of the studies with changed results after sensitivity analysis. Table S3. Results of meta-analysis on non-adults after excluding two studies discussing elder children. Table S4. Results of meta-analysis after including the study by Reiman. (DOCX 22 kb

Additional file 2: of The association between interleukin-6 gene -174G/C single nucleotide polymorphism and sepsis: an updated meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

Supplementary figures. The figures of pool analysis, egger’s test, sensitivity analysis and trial sequential analysis of each study were summarized. (DOCX 9463 kb

Data_Sheet_1_A Study on Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Remanufactured Products: A Study Based on Hierarchical Regression Method.ZIP

As one of the low-carbon products, remanufactured products are being paid more attention in more and more countries. But the low willingness of Chinese consumers to pay for them makes it difficult for remanufactured products companies to move forward in the Chinese market. This study explores the factors that affect consumers’ willingness to pay for remanufactured goods, through the hierarchical linear regression method, based on questionnaires. The results show that demographic variables (age, education, occupation, and income), individual subjective variables (environmental awareness, secondhand preferences, and Chinese quality trust) and product perception variables (MP4 quality perceived risk, face risk, and product impact on the environment) have a significant impact on the willingness to pay for remanufactured goods.</p